MAR LIN - No additional building or other permits will be issued for the Kings Village Plaza, Minersville, because an issue involving faulty fire hydrants has not been addressed.
There are three fire hydrants at the mall.
The Norwegian Township supervisors took the action Monday to prohibit the issuance of permits and will cite Victor Bunick, manager of the plaza, for violating the International Property Maintenance Code.
Bunick did not return calls for comment Monday night.
"If there's a fire there we are pumping it out of the creek," Supervisor Bob Kirwan said.
According to the supervisors, Bunick has been notified numerous times about the issue.
"He needs to understand he needs to get these things resolved," Kirwan said.
"We have spoken to him on at least two occasions. He's a very difficult person to reason with. He wants the township to assume responsibility that it quite frankly is not responsible for. It was always his responsibility. The property owner's responsibility to maintain the fire hydrants," township solicitor Eric Prock said.
Prock said Bunick had also been notified by Minersville borough officials.
"If we would have a fire down there we would have a problem," Supervisor Leo Grace said.
"He's got to understand he's got to get fire protection. We don't have that problem at the Fairlane mall. We don't have that problem at Pottsville Park Plaza. This is ridiculous," Kirwan said.
Prock said Bunick was informed numerous times he could be fined.
In response to a question from a resident at the meeting, Kirwan said the fire hydrants at the plaza are old.
"To get the connections that he's looking for, I don't know if he's going to be able to find them," he said.
"All three (plaza fire hydrants) don't have the right connections on them so they can't hook up," Kirwan said after the meeting.
The township adopted the International Property Maintenance Code in November. The code spells out fines for property maintenance violations. Fines range from $500 to a first offense to $1,000 for a second and $2,000 for a third. Other violations could be up to $4,000.
The zoning officer, a police officer, fire chief or third party inspector can enforce the fines, the township's other solicitor, B.J. Evans, said previously.
Prock said all appropriate violations will be cited, which could be done by next week.
Kirwan said he spoke with Bunick about two weeks ago and Bunick said he was working on addressing the issue.
However, in a Jan. 9 letter to the supervisors, Bunick said he was not informed of the issue with the hydrants and that a recent letter is the first time he had been informed. In the letter, which the supervisors provided as a matter of public record, Bunick said the issue would be addressed.
